


Canary

by JustSomeoneWhoLikesToWrite



Category: The Boys (TV 2019)
Genre: British Slang, Butcher is a dick but he still cares, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Emotional Constipation, Introspection, M/M, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, Set throughout episodes 1-3, like so much British slang lol, slight jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:28:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26298667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeoneWhoLikesToWrite/pseuds/JustSomeoneWhoLikesToWrite
Summary: Mother’s Milk had called Hughie hiscanary.Or a.k.a Butcher thinks about Hughie’s reactions to him being back.
Relationships: Billy Butcher & Hughie Campbell, Billy Butcher/Hughie Campbell
Comments: 25
Kudos: 553





	Canary

Mother’s Milk had called Hughie his _canary_. _  
_

As if he was some gormless bloke who needed someone to keep him in line. Treat him like he was some kind of prat. Like he needed to be _controlled_.

What a complete and utter steaming pile of _codswallop_.

Butcher has all his sandwiches for the picnic, thank you very fucking much. He doesn’t _need_ anyone. And he especially doesn’t need _Hughie_.

Hell, if anything, it’s the other way around. Bloody bastard would be hopeless without him, still faffing around feeling sorry for himself and the Jackson Pollock painting that was his former girlfriend. Butcher lit the fire under his arse and got him to _fight_ for something.

And what does he get for that? A shoulder colder than the fucking Arctic and a grudge bigger than the Queen’s hats. Treated him like a right villain, that Hughie.

And, okay, Butcher has to admit he did act like a bit of a twat when he punched Hughie. It’s just- he had been so _close_ , the prize dangling right in front of his eyes, the key to seeing his girl again and Hughie had just _ripped_ it right out of his fucking hands. Next thing he knows, his knuckles are kissing Hughie’s teeth.

But, he had tried to apologized; emphasis on the _try_. Bloke didn’t give him a chance, ignoring him, doing a shitty job of pretending he couldn’t hear him through his music. _As if_ Hughie would miss anything between the dollar store headphones and those big lugholes of his, the cunt.

_No_ , he heard Butcher loud and clear. And apparently, he didn’t like it.

Threw himself a right strop, hitting Butch with those barms he calls hands. And, Butch might be a lot of things-

(A cunt. A wanker. An arsehole.

Hell, a bird once called him Satan’s punishment to the world, how about that-)

But he isn’t _daft_. He knows when he isn’t wanted. He’s got better things to do than appeal to a bloke who apparently hates his fucking guts, doesn’t even want Butcher to _touch_ him. Treating him like he was some type of leper.

So, fine, Butcher can go sod off. _Hughie_ can go sod off. If he’d rather have a snooze in the carcass of a whale then grab Butch’s hand, well, that’s just his God-given American right. Butcher has more important things to do anyway.

But, apparently he can’t even have _that_ , ‘cause M.M’s on his tail not even a minute later. Starts running his gob about how Hughie is his _canary_ , how the kid’s falling apart. Well ol’ Butch ain’t no nanny and he’s certainly not gonna start being one now, not when they’re all so close to the finish line. Milk can take that oh so sage advice and shove it right up his arse.

(And he tried, yeah? Hughie doesn’t want anything to do with him. Maybe he did in the beginning, when he had no choice but to rely on someone like Butcher. When it felt like Butcher was the only one who could give him results.

But now Hughie has the team, a literal shinier new girlfriend and he doesn’t want Butcher anymore. Hughie might need him but that doesn’t mean that he-)

Butcher doesn’t need Hughie.

He _doesn’t_.

And he was perfectly content to leave Hughie to fend for himself, no longer have him stand like a skinny white bollard in Butcher’s way to the goal.

Well, he _was_ happy to do just that, but then the cunt got himself snookered with the likes of _Homelander_.

Hughie had sat there with his mouth set in a quivering line, silent and shocked. Didn’t dare to move. But when Homelander gave an ultimatum, the threat of kill or be killed, Hughie had looked Starlight right into her bloody eyes and fucking _nodded_.

Butcher _saw_ him, moving his head like some blooming _cunt_ , closing his eyes as the glow from his girlfriend’s power lit his face and neck yellow, just _accepting_ his fate without a _fight_ and-

(And Hughie might be whiny. He might be impulsive and weak and just a general pain in Butcher’s arse but-

But Butcher wouldn’t change a thing about him, not _one_ goddamn thing, as long as he never got to see such a resigned look on Hughie’s face again.)

Butcher is already releasing Kimiko’s brother and getting Homelander’s attention without hesitation, and Hughie looks up at him with such surprise that it would’ve been funny in literally any other context. But, Butch just steps to the side as Kenji brings the streets down on Homelander like a vengeful messiah.

Kenji escapes not a moment later, Kimiko on his heels.

Butch makes his way hurriedly to Hughie, kicking rubble out of the way, ready to leg it the fuck out of there, sticking out his hand to help Hughie up when he’s close enough. And even though Hughie looks at him with shock and no small amount of suspicion, he takes Butch’s hand.

When Hughie is on his feet, he looks at Butcher and their joined hands, back and forth, sea-foam eyes wide and searching like he can’t believe what he’s seeing. But there’s a bit of gratefulness in the way he squeezes Butcher’s fingers, relief in the way his eyes crinkle at the corners and Butcher feels something in that moment just _click_.

From there, everything goes pear-shaped.

Kimiko’s brother dies, Stormfront turns out to be as big of a cunt as any other super. Vought is already on its way to wanking off the public so that they can be in their good graces again.

But, misery likes company and there’s a strange sort of camaraderie as they all sit around the sofa to watch the telly. Butcher decides to take the space next to Hughie, swings his leg over to perch on the sofa arm.

The look Hughie gives him is tentative and weary, but he doesn’t try to move away, just peers up at him with fluttering eyelids. Butch meets his gaze head-on and there’s that feeling again, that _click_ he had felt in the sewers.

Its like a puzzle piece fitting together, the shift of a magazine locking into place. The satisfying _bang_ of a gun right before it meets its mark.

_Fuck me_ , Butcher thinks, _M.M was_ ** _right_**.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first time delving into fanfic for this series, but I couldn’t resist writing something with the new season. They really out here putting emphasis on Billy and Hughie’s relationship. I mean the look at the end of ep 3 gave me life.


End file.
